An experiment carried on board the final flight of space shuttle Atlantis could pave the way for remote-controlled satellite maintenance.

Robotic Refueling Mission

Robotic Refueling Mission

With all the attention on space shuttle Atlantis fixated on its status as the final shuttle flight, few may have noticed an innovative experiment it is delivering to the International Space Station. The shuttle carries a box, just a little larger than a steamer trunk, called the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM). Next week astronauts will attach the module to the outside of the ISS, and the experiments it conducts in space could reshape the way private companies and the military build and maintain satellites. Here at Cape Canaveral, NASA showed off the mission's capabilities via a flight-ready duplicate on display.

The RRF experiment aims to prove that a robotic arm, operated by keyboard by humans back on Earth, can service satellites in orbit. The arm must be able to open valves, disable safety features like wires and valve caps and insert fuel lines into receptacles. The challenge was to build a refueling system that can work the hardware across various kinds of orbiting satellites. When the module gets to orbit, astronauts will secure it outside the ISS, where a two-armed robot named Dextre will test it in space.

Refueling Tool

Refueling Tool

The key to the project, according to RRM hardware manager Justin Cassidy, is creating a limb that can use a variety of tools at its tip. This is the refueling tool, which a robotic arm would pluck from its toolkit and insert into ports on satellites. The lights would illuminate the area for the crew operating the tool from Earth; the frosted lens prevents any obscuring glare from shining on the camera.